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Charging near Disneyland

Charging near Disneyland

Submitted by jchangyy on Fri, 2013-01-11 09:14

Hi everyone,

I'm expecting my Model S (85) in Feb/March, and I was hoping to make my first long distance (relatively speaking) trip from San Francisco Bay area down to Disneyland for my 2.5 year old sometime after I get my car.

I've done some research on chargepoint and recargo, and haven't found too many places to charge around that area. Hilton and Conventions center were only 2 places and they charg $16/$24 for parking--charging free. The hotel I plan to stay (Candy cane Inn) doesn't have any way to charge my car overnight.

Has anyone been to Disneyland with Model S yet? and if so, any suggestions on charging? I don't need much...just enough to get to the supercharging station once we're done.

Also, is there a supercharging station on the way to San Diego?

thanks,

michael.delune |
11 janvier 2013

I don't think there is a Tesla supercharging station on way to San Diego. According to the plugshare app, there are 110 plugs at the Disneyland Mickey & Friends parking lot. One of the reviewers recommended to go to the Mitsubishi HQ in nearby Cybress. Then again you could just use the Hawthorne supercharger.

Better yet, stop by my house in Laguna Niguel and plug into my NEMA 14-50. We'll compare cars and share stories. Beer is on me.

cpetrush |
11 janvier 2013

Nice! This is why Tesla owners still look for others on the road, we are like family.

rallykeeper |
11 janvier 2013

I can't provide any evidence of it, but I seem to remember seeing J1772 chargers at the main parking structure in Disneyland with special parking spaces and everything. They're on the ground floor.

When we were there last Fall, I recall thinking that it would have been really nice to be driving my Model S since I would have had a much better parking space than the terrible one I ended up with on the top floor as far as possible from the escalators.

Ceilidh |
11 janvier 2013

Does anyone know if the Disneyland Grand Californian has any EV parking spots with charging? I was hoping to take the kids from the SF bay area to Disneyland via the superchargers and then hopefully have a place to charge while parked at the hotel. If anyone has done this, would love to hear about it also.

Cheers.

mcskks22 |
11 janvier 2013

I have been told that there are several in the "Down Town Disney" parking lot. Not sure what their configuration is for plugging in. Thinking of going to the park tonight. If we make It, I will research it and let you know what I find.

Try the blink network, too. Can't wait until we have superchargers in the pacific northwest so I can drive to Disneyland!

jchangyy |
11 janvier 2013

@michael...thanks for the offer....I may take you up on that. hehe.

thanks for all the info everyone.

when I make it down there, I'll post as much info as I can.

thanks,

stevenmaifert |
11 janvier 2013

If you Google "rv parks near disneyland", you'll see there are several. Might be worth a call to them to see if they have a NEMA 14-50 you could charge from with the UMC, and shuttle service to Disneyland.

jchangyy |
11 janvier 2013

@steven...thanks for the link. missed that on the website earlier

Louis_Marie |
11 janvier 2013

Hi everyone! This is our first post on here! Please keep us posted about your experience as we plan a trip to Disney as well.

We are the new (and proud!) owners of the Model S (85) Signature Performance. We are planning a similar trip, except we are leaving from BC, Canada, going all the way to Disneyland. So far, our challenges are with the Portland-Sacramento corridor. We are planning where to stop/sleep to maximize our time during the charging. Any experience or feedback welcome.

Thanks,

Louis and Marie, BC.

ghillair |
11 janvier 2013

@ L & M: There are many choices, one of which is RV parks most of which have 14-50 plugins. Some also have rental cabins for the night. Here is a good web site for finding them.

Now here's a thread that has me interested. I'm planning a Disneyland visit in February -- my first trip of any real length.

While it's less than ideal, the Anaheim City Hall charger looks doable, about two miles from the park, and should be reasonably accessible via public transit (to get back to the house of the mouse).

It'll be my day-before-the-trip-home charging station if nothing better turns up before February.

I've had troubles with public charger cables being too short to work with the Model S unless you back in, and this site mentions in particular that there are big fine$ if you back in. Catch-22. Can anybody headed that way take a look?

DTsea |
11 janvier 2013

Dave LV, where did you see the fine for parking tail in?

Dave-LasVegas |
11 janvier 2013

@DTsea: See the Check-Ins log for the Anaheim City Hall Recargo page for Feb. 28, 2012.

SoCal lot operators seem to really boost their income with backing-in parking space fines. Take a look at the logs for LAX, they're all over the place!

hsadler |
16 janvier 2013

Sent an e-mail to the Disney folks - here is the reply

Thank you for your e-mail to the DISNEYLAND® Resort.

Unfortunately, we do not offer a charging station for electric vehicles.
We apologize for any disappointment this may cause you and your family.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you will have the
opportunity to visit the DISNEYLAND® Resort soon and trust your visit
will be pleasant in all regards.

Sincerely,

Linda Trump
DISNEYLAND® Resort
Guest Experience Services

Please note all information is subject to change without notice and
should be confirmed just prior to your visit.

Received date: 1/11/13

JohhnyS |
16 janvier 2013

The owner of the Castle Inn does not yet have chargers, but he is very interested in Tesla. He asked a lot of questions about ours, but I have not had a chance to show him yet. I suspect that if several people ask about charging he will put them in. The Castle Inn is directly across the street from Disneyland on Harbor Blvd. They are planning on room renovations over the next couple of months. I will send him an email when I have a chance.

jbunn |
16 janvier 2013

Louis and Marie,

I'm a bit southeast of seattle. You can use the 14-50 and be our guests. Email is above.

nora-te |
17 janvier 2013

We are planning an August trip to Disneyland, staying at the Grand Californian. We normally go for at least 4 days (mostly staying within the park)so being able to charge for the trip home to the Bay Area is a concern.

As much as Disney touts itself as being a green company, and considering they are forward thinkers, I have to believe they will be installing chargers in their garages. Maybe they just need some encouragement.

This thread is a good indicator of how many Model S owners are already planning a Disneyland trip. If we have to go off-site to charge our car, we will most likely eat a meal outside of the Disney property. Maybe we will see another place of interest and want to go outside the park again. Keeping people on site is a good business decision.

I suggest Tesla owners start a campaign for getting either a Tesla Supercharger or at least 50 amp chargers in the Disney garages. I plan to make contact with Guest Services in the next few days. Maybe we can make the Tesla grin a common feature at the Happiest Place on Earth!

hsadler |
17 janvier 2013

I informed Disneyland that we will be choosing an outside hotel due to charging availability.

dahtye |
17 janvier 2013

I'm driving to Disneyland this weekend.
I just posted a new thread asking if there is real-time information on whether the Superchargers along the route are actually "up and working". I'm a bit concerned that a supercharger that I'm relying on my be "down" - then I'd be stuck there until it's fixed.

Anyhow....

@jchangyy, I've stayed at the Candy Cane Inn. It's a great place for a reasonable price and includes the continental breakfast and is walking distance to the park entrance (but has a good shuttle that runs every 30 minutes).
If you've been there already, you probably know already that the parking spaces are a bit tight. With the width of the Model S, that would be my concern - that's why I'm not staying there this time.

I'm staying at a Double Tree a bit south and hoping that with business travelers mostly, they would be a bit more considerate in not banging their door into my new baby.

Regarding charging....
I'm have the route planned out and will charge at the Hawthorne supercharger. It's only about 30 miles from Disneyland. I don't plan on charging overnight at Disneyland, but do plan to use/lose about 15 miles of range per day/night when I'm there. I also plan to go to Irvine on that same charge and expect to have about 55 miles of range remaining when I get back to the Hawthorne supercharger.
My assumption is that I will consume power at 1.4x the EPA rated power. So, I'm expecting no more than 170 miles of range on a standard charge during my trip. This will allow me to drive reasonably fast on I-5 and also not poke along in So-Cal.

I hope to keep good notes of my experience over this weekend and post to this thread when I get back.

Dave-LasVegas |
17 janvier 2013

Shopping centers in SoCal seem to be on the ball even if Disney isn't, or at least so my minimal web research suggests.

The Block at Orange, an outlet mall with shops, restaurants and movies, is only about 3½ miles from Disneyland. Looks excellent. Just do dinner there the evening before departure, and the 107 miles to the Barstow Supercharger (allow ~20 miles for the awful climb up Cajon Pass, plus some "safety" miles plus a possible detour or stop en route) and the trip home to Las Vegas should be plain sailing.

Backup shopping center locations a few miles further from D'land include South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and Newport Fashion Island in Newport Beach.

I think I'm set for 2013! But I'll still hope (and maybe agitate a little) for charging locations at Disneyland proper and/or at the nearby hotels in future.

If I remember to do it, I'll post how this works out for me. I'm planning on the Washington's Birthday holiday weekend next month.

jchangyy |
17 janvier 2013

@dahtye...I'm very much looking forward to your report on your experience. We did stay at Candy cane Inn and we enjoyed it very much, especially having the option to come back to the inn at 1pm for a nice nap before heading back out.

we're planning to go sometime in the summer.

Becareful driving through the grapevine...it's been very cold recently.

nora-te |
17 janvier 2013

My daughter called the Grand Californian today to inquire about chargers in their parking lot. She was told they have one (don't know the amps)and it gets very little use. It is 1st come 1st serve, so you can't count on it. I predict they will need more very soon.

The person she talked to seemed interested in Teslas, but didn't know much about them. We need to make Disney aware of these vehicles of the future!

How about converting the Autopia ride to electric vehicles? Tesla could sponsor the ride & get great publicity! That area of the park would smell a lot better too.

I sent an e-mail to Guest Services letting them know that there are many new Tesla owners in California and several are requesting information regarding chargers in Disney garages. I will report back witht their response.

htsai14752 |
24 janvier 2013

They really should add charging stations on the first floor and close to the tram.

dahtye |
25 janvier 2013

I just posted my trip summary on this forum.

I asked the parking attendant in the Mickey and Friends parking structure about the location of AC outlets. He didn't know of any. The reason I asked is one of the phone apps for chargers showed that there are outlets on the north end of the parking structure. But it doesn't mention which level. I quickly checked as I was driving on the level that I was on (named Donald) and didn't see any.

The guy was somewhat oblivious to our plight.

hsadler |
25 janvier 2013

See my post of Jan 16 - answer from Disneyland

family |
25 janvier 2013

I actually am very familiar with this issue as a Disneyland enthusiast and a 3 year Tesla owner.

Nora-te: The Grand California and Disneyland Hotel valets will plug you into a 110 outlet. They have a few of these outlets, but they dont publicize this option. I have done this many times (more than I care to admit, but lets just say plenty enough to be confident of what I am saying) and the only question was if the valet wanted me to go with them to make sure it was done right. Not once has there been any question of whether I could actually plug in. This is what they were referring to when your daughter called. Of course if this gets well known, they may get regularly tied up (so I'm going against short term self interest here, but you are fellow Tesla owners.)

I'm pretty confident that there is currently no working J1772 or other 220+ v charger or outlet anywhere at Disneyland except the employee only structure. I have pushed on this issue and have heard they are working on a plan.

I have charged at the Anaheim Civic lot. This option works fine, but it is a $10 cab ride to the park. If you park during the day, don't bother calling for a cab. Its faster to just walk out to Anaheim Blvd and wave one down.

As of a few months ago, the Hilton had a working Avcon charger (same as J1772 but with a different connector) for guests, but you need an adapter for this. I have an Avcon to NEMA 14-50 adapter which I used there successfully. You may find one on eBay but they aren't cheap.

If you are coming from the north, and using a 110 outlet long enough at your hotel is not an option, the Hawthorne supercharger is a great solution. I would recommend this if you are in a hurry. If you're lucky, you'll strike up a conversation with SpaceX employees and get a factory tour. The mall solution is also fine if you have more time.

scriptacus |
25 janvier 2013

FYI: the 110 volt outlets in the Mickey & Friends parking structure are located on all levels next to the various stairwells. We use these to charge our Leaf when we go there (Model S is still on the way). You sometimes need to move some cones and ignore the parking attendants to park near the stairwells.

melkhunter |
22 avril 2013

We just got back from Disneyland with our Model S - we started in Morgan Hill where we live (10 miles or so N of Gilroy supercharger). We left on a Wed and didn't see ANY other Model S's at the Harris Ranch & Dennis McCarthy Chargers. At Disney - we used the Mickey & Friend's lot the first day. The attendant actually came up to me asking if I liked my Tesla and I said YES of course and asked him if I could park on the North Wall. He gave me a spiel of how Disney wasn't responsible for any damage done and how they couldn't guarantee charge... but moved cones and blocked traffic so I could back into the spot and plug into the wall to trickle charge. Unfortunately, the next two days at Disney the lot that was available was the Simba lot which is outdoor/no wall outlets. I was fine for the rest of the trip since our hotel was just 2 miles away. On the way home, just stopped at the Hawthorne charger (~35 miles away from Disney) and it worked out just fine. Had enough "extra" charge to have fun accelerating over the grapevine. We drove home sunday morning/early afternoon and only saw one S during the whole trip (at Harris Ranch). Fun times!!

lov2krz |
30 avril 2013

We drove from Morgan Hill to disneyland with stops at Harris Ranch (1 hour) and Tejon (40 minutes) with 104 miles left on the rated range. Drove as fast as i could without getting a ticket and using AC.

Just finishing our stay at the Grand Californian Hotel. Was disappointed to learn that after several calls to reservations assuring me fast charging was available that the charging status at the hotel is limited to a 110v 15 amp outlet. Fortunately didn't need to leave until departure. It too 3 days of continuos charging at 3 miles/ hr at 12amps to get full charge of 261 miles rated range. If I do this again will consider visiting Hawthorn supercharger during trip to allow side trips to visit family or Universal Studios.

jasonsc |
30 avril 2013

You may want to consider going to the tesla store in fashion island in Newport. It is only 15-30 minutes or so away, has nice shopping and restaurants and tesla has two hpwc there.

lov2krz |
30 avril 2013

Thanks for the suggestion. I only have a single charger in my 85kWh MS. The HPWC would only give me max 31mile/hr where the super charger is >114m/hr.

kermit1995 |
30 avril 2013

I would agree with jasonsc's suggestion. Fashion Island, Newport Beach has an actual Tesla showroom and a charger (don't know if it is a super-charger) on the basement level of one of the parking structures. From Disneyland to Fashion Island could be quite short (distance is much shorter than from Hawthorn), just depends upon traffic. I think you just have to tell the people in the showroom that you've hooked up to a wall unit and your'e set.

J Nemeth |
16 juin 2013

The Best Western at 1630 S. Harbor blvd. has a 120v outlet directly behind the very last parking space at the end of the building. It's in font of room 133. I'm plugged in here now and should be fully charged when we leave here in two days. The front desk said there were no outlets available, but we found this one. This hotel is directly across from the Disneyland main gate, and it's relatively low price will help offset the 100 grand I dropped on the car. I'll stay at the Grand Californian next time!

Jay

kviveiros |
18 novembre 2013

Anyone have updated info on parking at Disneyland and charging their model S? I'd like to be able to park in one of the parking lots or structures at the actual park or at Downtown Disney, does anyone know if there's a charger?

I've read that you can get access to a 110 volt plug in the Mikey structure if you're lucky but I was hoping for real charging stations. Any info would be great!

stevenmaifert |
18 novembre 2013

PlugShare is pretty current. There is nothing showing for L2 charging at the park itself.

family |
8 janvier 2014

At the Chargepoint booth at CES today I was told they are putting in Chargepoint stations in the Mickey & Friends structure! No exact date.

family |
19 janvier 2014

Charging stations at Disnyland are now open! Check Plugshare for more info.

Bonlaw |
19 janvier 2014

3 miles from Disneyland is an "outlet" center. Next to the Dave and Busters there is free J1772 charging, two I believe. Kids love Dave and Busters for food and arcade. There are movies and a lot of shopping. 100 yards away is a Double Tree Hotel if you don't care about staying right next to Disneyland.
There is always the lovely upscale Fashion Island for charging at the Tesla showroom, but best served with little ones at The Outlets near Disneyland.
San Juan Capistrano supercharger may be up and running by the time you arrive so getting to San Diego should be no problem. Have a great trip.

DieAbetic |
20 janvier 2014

Not sure if this is a viable option, but some apartment/condo places nearby have basic charging stations in their garage (from what I remember - haven't visited there in a couple years). Check out some near Angels stadium at Katella Ave and State College Blvd. It would be a 20 min walk back to Disney, or a quick cab ride, or a 10 min $2.40 bus ride.

While you are in the area, check out Cali Tacos on W. Chapman Ave. Little hole-in-the-wall with great food. The center of Orange also has some great places to eat and hang out. Take the kids to 'Bruxie' in Orange - they can get anything from salmon and cucumber (and other breakfast items) to ice cream and candy put on a big Belgian waffle with amazing toppings.

Have fun! Cheers!

VictorA |
4 février 2014

Good News. As of February 1, 2014, Disneyland has 20 Chargepoint charger available in the Disney and Friends Parking structure, first level.
In addition, there are 10 other chargers available elsewhere on the Disney property.

wayneone |
20 mars 2016

Some local hotels have chargers. We unsuccessfully tried to use the chargepoint chargers at Disney at the Mickey and Friends lot. We got there after noon on a Saturday but there were none available. There were many cars plugged in but not charging. Some were not even plugged in!
We ended up staying at the Renaissance Long Beach because they had 2 Tesla chargers in the parking garage on the 1FL. We had to ask the valet or the front desk to move one of the non-EV cars to make a spot available. Normal expensive downtown hotel parking rates apply. On the super charger directory on tesla.com, seems like many other hotels have tesla charging as well including the Anaheim Marriott. Select "Destination Charging"